WASHINGTON – Congressman Mike Bishop (MI-08) today released the following statement after House passage of S. 2101, the USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act. Congressman Bishop introduced the House version of the legislation, H.R. 4107, and garnered 299 cosponsors to honor the crew members of the USS Indianapolis with Congress’ highest recognition, the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill passed the House unanimously and now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
“I'm proud this bipartisan legislation to honor the crew members of the USS Indianapolis with a Congressional Gold Medal is one step closer to becoming law. There are 14 living crew members, including my constituent Mr. Richard Thelen of Lansing, Michigan, and this is a small token of appreciation we can and should bestow upon our veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedoms,” said Rep. Bishop.
“The USS Indianapolis crew members survived a kamikaze attack, earned 10 battle stars for World War II service, and took on an intense and incredibly risky mission that was critical to ending World War II. During this mission, the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine in what is known as the worst naval disaster in history. The crew members floated helplessly in shark-infested waters for days before finally being rescued. Only 316 of the 1195 crew members survived. Their sacrifice, perseverance, and bravery should never be forgotten. I urge the president to swiftly sign this bill into law.”
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